1. Field of Invention
The present invention related to transport receptacles for horticultural items, especially to receptacles for use in shipping cut flowers which convert to a vase when opened.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Shippers and florists have traditionally provided limited protective measures for the transport of horticultural items, in particular cut flowers and other consumer oriented items. Typically the receptacles and wrappings of the prior art included various sheets conventionally wrapped around the item. Such methods of transport severely limit the distance and means available for transporting perishable and fragile items such as cut flowers. Furthermore after delivery a separate vase must be located to place and store the flowers in. This presents difficulties when, for instance, the flowers are sent to businesses or hospitals where such items are not readily or conveniently available.
Heretofore a wide variety of transport receptacles have been proposed and implemented for transporting horticultural items.
One such receptacle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,356 to Schact wherein a caddy providing a protective disclosure for the delivery and display of house plants and cut flowers is shown. The caddy comprised a cover telescopically slidable over a receptacle with the height being adjusted by a harness which is extendable through registration slots in the receptacle. This type of receptable is of limited applicability due to the difficulty of shipping a container with a loose external harness. Furthermore, such receptacle did not provide for interior humidity or aeration which is essential for maintaining cut flowers and other horticultural items in optimum condition.
Another type of receptacle for shipping horticultural commodities is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,064 to Saul. This type of receptacle relates to containers with axial extending side walls which provide means for receptacle.
Other pertinent prior art known to applicant are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,270,554 and 3,127,011 which disclose receptacles of selected lengths for holding particular flowers. These patents do not have means by which to convert the box into a vase nor do they provide means to control interior humidity and air flow. Furthermore, such packaging arrangements require a sufficient inventory of different length boxes which must always be kept on hand. Such limitations have undoubtedly been a reason these receptacles have not received widespread acceptance.
Most shippers and florists, therefore, would find it desirable to have a receptacle which is adaptable to a wide range of flowers and other horticultural items, which provide means to control interior humidity and air flow, and which is convertable to an attractive stable vase when opened.